A Harsh Rebuke

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

A Harsh Rebuke

Maclean's (12/08/97) Vol. 110, No. 49, P. 20
DeMont, John

Abstract: The infection of thousands of Canadians with HIV and the hepatitis C virus in the late 1970s and 1980s by tainted blood, could have been avoided, according to the final report by Justice Horace Krever on his investigation into the country's largest medical scandal of the century. However, some critics are disappointed with the report--which took 4 years and nearly Canadian $17 million dollars to complete--for failing to place any blame for the disaster. The Canadian Supreme Court ruled in September that the report could only state facts and not assign blame to any individuals. However, the report does document the many factors that led to the crisis and makes 50 recommendations on how to improve the country's blood supply system. The report claims that key events leading up to the crisis included the failure of the Bureau of Biologics to enact a system of checks that would have effectively monitored the blood supply, much of which came from the United States where AIDS was becoming more prevalent. The report continues to claim that government officials were more concerned with avoiding public questions and a scandal than ensuring public safety, and the decision by the Canadian Red Cross to use up its supply of non-heated blood concentrates was also a factor. Krever's primary recommendation has already been embraced by the government, which plans by September 1998 to begin operating a C$81 million new blood supply system that is independent of the Red Cross. Krever also suggested making no-fault compensation payments to all tainted blood recipients, whether they are infected with HIV or hepatitis C. The government has yet to make a definite response.

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